Changes
by adelaidybug
Summary: Mrs. Fredric is dead, and Claudia just can't handle it. The second and final chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Warehouse 13 or anything in it, and am not making profit from this. **

This is my first fanfic, so please, read! Enjoy! Review! But be kind. :)

"Claude?" Did you hear what I said?" Pete's voice is soft and sad, almost pleading with me to stay strong. But I can't do anything. I can't scream or cry. I just sit here. After a long moment, Pete gets up. "I'll let you... you know, process and stuff." He closes the door after he leaves my room at the B&B.

_She's dead. Mrs. F is actually dead this time. There's no way to bring her back. _The words keep playing over and over in my mind, but they don't mean anything. I can't make sense of them. I'm frozen. Hours pass, and I'm still here with my knees drawn up close to me, elbows on my knees, and hands on my forehead, eyes closed. I sunk down to this position against the wall when Pete told me the news. I had kind of already figured it out. I felt this weird... _thing_. Like the Warehouse was calling me to itself. But it scared the crap out of me. _I don't want to move, or think or feel. I don't want to be here._

A knock sounds at the door. "Claudia?" It's Myka. She knocks again. "You okay?" I don't react. I don't think I could if I tried. "I'm coming in," she says, opening the door. Myka crosses the room and puts her hand on my back.

_Just leave me alone, Myka. _

"Claude, are you okay? Claudia?" She tries to move one of my hands away from my face, but it's stuck there. It's stiff and won't move.

"Claudia, can you hear me? Hey Pete, get in here!" she yells.

"What? What's the matter?"

"Something's wrong. Claudia's not moving or responding." Her voice sounds concerned, and almost makes me want to look up at her, but I can't. I'm stuck with my eyes closed, still as a statue. Now I'm starting to panic.

"I'll get Artie and Dr. Vanessa." I hear him running down the stairs, and soon Dr. Vanessa's voice filters through.

"Claudia?" She touches my arm. "Artie, we need to bring her to the hospital."

"What, why?" he sounds angry, but I know he's just scared.

"She's in a cataleptic state. Who saw her last?"

"Uh, it was me." Pete says nervously. "I had to tell her about... Mrs. Frederic." There's a long silence.

"Emotional shock can lead to this. Let's get her to the car. Claudia? We're going to bring you to the hospital. You're going to be okay." Dr. Vanessa rubs my stiff arm.

_No, I'm really not._

"Wait, she can hear us?" Pete asks, as I feel myself being picked up.

"I'm not sure. She's probably scared, though." I'm set down in the car, and feel an arm around me.

"Hey Claude, it's me." Jinksy's voice cracks. It sounds like he's just barely keeping it together.

It's a long drive. No one's talking. The car stops, and the engine shuts off. The door opens, and I'm put on a gurney. Doctors and nurses are asking me questions and I'm starting to tune out. I'm stuck with needles and they do tests. I taste something metallic and realize they must be giving me something through an IV. Then the dreams come.

Nightmares would be a more accurate description. All of the horrors of my life in one long stream. My parents death, Joshua's disappearance, all the terrors of the dark vault, and then the Psych ward and Dr. Michener. But the worst of all is Mrs. Frederic dying. I think I must see it a dozen times. It just keeps playing over and over. I'm standing over her dead body just staring and trying to scream but I can't and it's killing me. I can't hold on. I can't.

I start to lose my hold on reality.

"Claude?" Jinksy's voice slices through the nightmare. I squint and open my eyes letting in way too much light and groan slightly.

"Can you hear me?"

"Jeez, a girl needs her beauty rest, Jinksy."

"Claudia!" he hugs me tightly.

"Ugh, oxygen is essential for life, pal."

"Sorry." He loosens his hug slightly. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess." _I'm not really sure how I feel, but it beats nightmares._

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad I can move."

"You wanna talk abou-"

"No."

"Okay. Uh, I'll be right back. Artie, Myka and Pete are in the waiting room, so I'm going to let them know you're awake."

"Okay." He hugs me again before he leaves, as if afraid I'll be gone when he comes back.

_Now what? They give me some psych meds, make sure I'm not going to lose it, and send me back to the B&B? Or the Warehouse? _I feel sick. I don't ever want to go back to the warehouse. Its business has resulted in so many deaths. Leena. Mrs. Frederic. And now I'm expected to take care of it while it kills off all my friends as I live on and on? _I can't. I won't._

"Hey Claude." Pete comes over and gives me a hug, quickly followed by Myka. Artie stands back for a moment. He's doing that thing where he acts a little pissed but is actually trying not to cry.

"Don't scare us like that." His voice is gruff.

"Okay." He comes over and gives me a hug.

A nurse comes in and checks some things. Later, a doctor comes, asking the others to leave.

"So Claudia, what do you think triggered your Catalepsia?" I shrug. "What happened before it started?"

"Look, I don't really want to talk about this. I'm fine, so I can leave, right?"

"You're not psychiatrically cleared."

"But I'm not a danger to others, and I'm an adult. So legally, I can check myself out, correct?"

"Well, yes... Technically-"

"Great. Then I want to check myself out."

"You will be going against my judgement, you know that right?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Okay. I'll get your release papers."

_I'm not really sure why I want to leave. It won't be any better at the B&B with people pressuring me to go back. Maybe I can just stay in my room for a while._ I'm starting to get anxious. Really anxious. But I shove the feeling down, get changed into my street-clothes, and go out to the others after signing my release forms.

"''Kay, I'm ready to go."

"Oh... Um, can you?" Myka asks, nervously.

"Yah, I signed the papers and I'm ready to go home." We all go out to the car, and are pretty quiet on the ride home. When we get to the B&B, I stalk up to my room and flop into my bed.

I keep to myself mostly. I try picking up my guitar to handle the grief, or tinkering with one of my electrical projects. But they don't help. Nothing helps. I feel the Warehouse nagging at me to go back to it.

_ Just leave me alone. I'm never going back._

Eventually I end up lying in my bed most of the time, only getting up for absolute necessities. I can't even cry. I'm just sitting here, empty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Still don't own any of Warehouse 13, or it would be on tv for ever and ever.**

**Also, a warning. There are a few lines mentioning vomit, so if you're super sensitive this may not be the story for you.**

…**...A few days later...**

"Hey Claude, can I come in?" It's Jinksy's voice.

"Yeah." I say in a quiet, dull tone.

"What's going on?" he asks as he opens the door. I'm under tons of blankets on my bed.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not yourself. You haven't been to the warehouse in days. You just stay in your room all the time. You don't crack any jokes."

"I don't understand how you guys can all be so calm. Mrs. F. is dead, Jinks. She's never coming back. How can you all just move on so quickly? Did you even love her?" My voice is cracking and rather weak.

"Claudia, how can you even say that?" He crosses the room and rips the blankets off me, to find me soaked in sweat and shaking. "Hey, are you okay?" His forehead wrinkles up in worry-lines.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

"You're even paler than usual, and your eyes are kind of bloodshot." he puts a hand to my forehead.

"Gee, with words like those, you're sure to win me over."

"Do you feel sick?"

"I guess my stomach's been a little temperamental. I'm fine, though Jinksy."

"I'm getting Myka."

"Gah, just leave me alone!" He's already halfway down the stairs. I'm freezing, and pull the blankets back over me. Soon Myka comes in.

"Hey Claudia, stick this under your tongue." she hands me a thermometer. "What are your symptoms?" I start mumbling something awkwardly around the thermometer, and she says to wait till it's done. I glare at her. It beeps and she looks at it.

"Hmm. 102. What other symptoms do you have?"

"Just kind of tired. No big deal."

"I'm making chicken noodle soup. Would you like some?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"What? That's your favorite," Jinksy interjects.

"I'm a little queasy."

"I see. Let's take these blankets off you, and I'll get you some ibuprofen to lower your fever." Myka notices I'm shaking badly and bites her lip, knitting her eyebrows together in concern.

…**...A few hours later...**

There's a knock on the door.

"What?" I ask irritatedly. My fever hasn't gone down, and I feel miserable.

"Can I come in?" Jinksy asks.

"Whatever." He comes in and sits down on the bed next to me.

"How's it going?"

"I feel gross."

"Sure you don't want some soup?"

"No, I don't feel good." I'm getting annoyed.

"Still shaky?"

"Yup." I pull my hand out from under the covers to show him. It's shaking like crazy.

"Claude, maybe we should get a doctor here."

"I'll be fine. It's probably just a virus."

"Okay... Hey, we should talk about... stuff."

"Yeah, like what?"

"I don't know. We haven't really talked in awhile. So much has happened."

I'm starting to feel nauseous. "I don't feel so good."

"What doesn't feel good?"

"Ugh. I'm gonna be sick." I whip off the covers and run toward the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I start throwing up. It's a long time till I finally lift my head, feeling extremely dizzy. Myka's right next to me, and puts a wet washcloth on my forehead.

"Hey there. Sorry you feel so crummy."

"Yeah." I cough. "A virus or something." I'm shaking badly. Another wave of nausea hits, and I'm back over the toilet bowl. Soon I'm just dry heaving over and over. Things are getting dark and blurry. I lean over to the side and feel someone catch me just before I black out.

I hear catches of conversations. "Wrong... Claudia!... Something... Warehouse... Withdrawal..."

My head hurts.

Everything goes white.

Blank

Empty

Free

Suddenly, Mrs. Frederic is here.

"Claudia, it's time to go back to the Warehouse now."

_ No! I can't! I can't do it, Mrs. Frederic. You were so brave and strong, and you always knew what to do. I'm just a stupid kid. I'll mess up and the world will probably end because of me._

"How do you think I got to know so much Claudia? I learned as time went on."

_I can't go back. I can't._

I turn away from Mrs. Fredric, but her voice calls me back. "Claudia, you must go back before it's too late, and that is an order." she says sternly.

_Fine..._

_I'll go back._

My brain feels different. Suddenly there's just things I know. Weird things. Like, I need to meet with the Regents soon to talk with them about Fidel Castro's cigar humidor. And there's an uprising in Libya having to do with a small buddha statue from a Nepali monk.

My eyes come into focus. I'm in the Warehouse office laying on a pile of jackets. Pete is in a spinning chair, spinning around and around. Myka stops his chair abruptly, telling him to knock it off. Jinks is pacing back and forth. Artie is looking up something on the computer. I notice a dozen shortcuts he could be using if he knew them. I sit up.

"Hey Artie, let me do that." I'm surprised at the strength in my voice, considering not too long ago I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

"Claudia!" Everyone crowds around me, and I'm caught in a big, awkward group hug.

"How do you feel?" asks Artie.

"Good, actually. Uh... What happened?"

"Jane Lattimer said you were experiencing withdrawal from the Warehouse." Myka says. "Since you're the caretaker, you have a special bond with it, and you were blocking it off in your mind."

"Zoiks... So all the freaky shaking and puking?"

"Symptoms of withdrawal. Similar to severe drug withdrawal."

"All of your own doing." Artie adds.

"Sorry."

Artie leans in for another hug. "And rightly so." He steps back and looks at me sternly. "If you ever do something like that again, I'm going to have to ground you, young lady." He ruffles my hair. I make a face, but am so glad to know they'll still treat me like a kid even though I'm the caretaker now.

"Hey, I'm starving. Can we go back to the B&B for some cookies? And maybe a little chicken noodle soup?" I ask.

"Okay. But wait, we don't have enough seats in the car."

"Oh, it's okay. I'll take a different route," I say, wondering how exactly this will work, but trusting myself.

I just sort of will it to happen, and it does. I'm in a white room with a door. I open the door, and I'm walking into the kitchen at the B&B. _Well, that was weird, yet awesome. _

"Heya, Pete."

"Whoah." Pete drops his cookie out of his mouth, he's so surprised. I snort.

"Just like Mrs. F." I say.

"Spitting image. Here." He hands me a bowl of soup, and I sit down at the table with my family. As I look up, I see Myka in an apron pulling a pan of lasagna out of the oven. It's going to take some getting-used-to. I know we all miss Leena. We all eat rather quietly, and I start doing dishes when I get a ping. But it's not on a computer. It's in my head. Time to meet with the regents.

_A head ping. That's new._

"Hey Myka, can you finish these dishes up? There's... something I've gotta do."

"Sure Claude, what's up?"

"Um... I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Got it. See you later, I guess?"

"Yeah, I'll be back before curfew." I smile sarcastically as I walk toward the door.

Suddenly I'm in the white room again, and a blue door is in front of me. I go through it, and find myself outside. A limo is waiting to take me to a meeting with the regents.

_Geez, how do I even know this?_

After the meeting, I'm back at the Warehouse office, staring at a photograph of Leena and Trailer.

"I miss you, Leena." I say aloud.

"Claudia?" Steve is standing in the doorway. I quickly wipe a few tears out of my eyes.

"Hey Jinksy, what's up?"

"I was thinking it might be time for that talk."

"I'm kinda busy right now... Maybe some other time."

"Claude, you can trust me. All of us. We're here for you."

I sigh. "Okay, let's talk."


End file.
